Improvement in portable ladders for gathering fruit



L. H. TITUS. Portable Ladder forGathering Fruit.

No. 210,168. Patenteq Nov. 19,1878.

N-PETERS, PNm-LrmuGRAPniR, WASHINGTON, 0. c

UNITED STATESIPATENT OFFICE.

LUTHER H. TITUS, OF SAN GABRIEL, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE LADDERS or: GATHERING FRUIT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210,168, dated November19, 1878; application filed May 10, 1878.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUTHER HARVEYTITUS, of San Gabriel, Los Angelescounty, State of California, have invented a Portable Ladder forGathering Fruit, of which the following is a specification:

The instrument or invention is to be used in picking or gathering fruitfrom trees.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of my improvedfruit-gathercr. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the hopper.

The invention as a whole consists of a ladder, A, with a bow, B,attached at the top thereof. 0 is a hook, with cord attached at lowerend, running through staples at N, to the end of which cord a weight ofone or two pounds is fastened. D is a hopper, fastened to the ladder andtwo standards at-points O, at which points are rubber fastenings ofsufficient strength, on which rubber fastenings are hooks for convenientuse.

The hopper D is about five feet in diameter, consisting of canvas putover a hoop. To this hopper is attached a canvas tube, Y, extending downinto the basket F.

B is a bow to support or steady the person while standing on the toprounds of the ladder.

E are flexible standards for the support of the hopper D, attachedthereto, as described, under D above. F is an ordinary fruit-basket. Pis an adjustable apron, adjusted by the ring and hooks at R. L arewheels and axle, of ordinary make, to which axle is attached the upperpart of the device.

H is an iron adjustable ratchet or notched brace or bail, attached tothe horizontal timbers at S with bolts. This brace passes within thelower part of the ladder over an iron rod running through the ladder.The notches in this brace fit down firmly over the rod, so as tosecurely hold the ladder in position as it is inclined at a greater orless angle to the horizontal frame K. i

K is aframe, consisting of two parallel timbers, about two by threeinches by fourteen feet, fitted onto the axle, and bolted and braced bycross-brace at T and V with iron underbrace W. WV is an ironunder-brace, attached to the horizontal frame and to the axle by anupright iron from X. At X an iron rod extends through the lower end ofthe ladder and out through the brace W, this brace and rod havingsufficient strength to firmly sustain the ladder with person on itgathering fruit, on which rod X the ladder works as a hinge.

M are spikes or anchors bolted to the ends of the horizontal frame, ofsufficient length to run down into the ground, thereby blocking thewheels and holding thewhole device firmly and immovably in position foruse, and while the person is on the ladder gathering fruit.

V is a brace in the horizontal frame, used as a handle for convenientlyhandling the device and moving it from place to place.

Under the basket E is a small shelf for the support of the basket. Theshelf is fastened to under side of the horizontal frame K. The ladderApasses in front of the axle and moves snugly within the horizontalframe K. The horizontal frame K is fastened to the axle, so

that over half the length is in front of the axle.

Thisframe is about fourteen feet long. The various joinings are securelyriveted or bolted, so as to hold the parts in place.

The device is to be so constructed and proportioned that the center ofgravity always falls in front of the axle and in front of the bottom ofthe ladder. The strength of the various parts is to be such as to safelysustain a person on the ladder while picking fruit. The length of theladder is determined by the height of the fruit-trees, and thehorizontal frame is proportioned in all cases to theheight of theladder.

The device is operated by first ta ng hold of the handle Vand pushing itu fa -fruittree, so that the ladder comes suffic ently close to thefruit. When the hands are removed from the handle V the spikes oranchors at M enter the ground, and thus firmly hold the device in place.The ladder is then adjusted nearer the fruit by use of the adjustableratchet or notched brace or bail H, if needed. The person then ascendsthe ladder, takes the hook 0, reaches out and catches a limb of the treeor twig, and drawsit within reach. The weight at the end of the cord Nkeeps the cord tight,

and by placing the foot against the cord and pressing against the sideof the ladder the limb of the tree is held, while both hands are freefor use in picking fruit. As the fruit is gathered it is thrown into thehopper D and rolls down through the tube into the basket, the fall beingbroken by the canvas hopperD and apron P. As the basket is filled it isreplaced with an empty basket.

VVhatI claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The fruitgatherer consisting of the horizontal frame K, supportedmidway by the two wheels, andhavingspikes or anchors at one end, theladder pivoted to hangers below the axis of said wheels and adjustablein inclination, and the hopper 1), with its chute suspended above theframe in suitable relation to the ladder, substantially as described.

LUTHER H. TITUS.

Witnesses R. M. WIDNEY, WILLIAM I'IALL.

